CZVMVZ005 Energy in Europe: Principles, Challenges, Paths Forward

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2022
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Tomáš Vlček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Jan Osička, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Hedvika Koďousková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Veronika Velička Zapletalová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lukáš Lehotský, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Tomáš Vlček, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
The summer school is open to undergraduate and graduate students of International Relations, Political Science, and European studies, as well as students from technical, legal and economic fields. The summer school is also open to junior employees of energy sector related companies.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Rapid transition to renewable energy, skyrocketing prices of electricity and natural gas, reliance on oil imports from authoritarian and openly hostile regimes, local opposition to new energy installations, increasing energy poverty, or looming impoverishment of once proud coal regions. These are just a few examples of major challenges faced by many countries around the world, including the European Union. The presented summer school provides its students with deep insight into these challenges and, using interactive tools and in-class discussions, cultivates the students’ ability to interpret them within the complex patchwork of European climate and energy policy.
Learning outcomes
The school spans over two weeks. The first week is dedicated to the socio-political and techno-economic characteristics of the European energy landscape and sets the stage for the second week, during which the contemporary challenges and paths forward are discussed. An integral part of the curriculum is a discussion session with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affair’s Special Envoy for Energy Security and a session on Supply security and geopolitics led by James Henderson, Director of Natural Gas Programme of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. The curriculum requires no specific previous knowledge, and all information is presented in non-technical language. Students of all fields and degrees are welcome. The school is presented by professors of the Energy Policy Studies program, one of the leading energy research and education institutions in continental Europe, thus securing high academic standards and quality of the presented topics. The program’s summer school has a ten-year history with 173 satisfied graduates of 35 nationalities from all around the world.
Syllabus
  • Electricity industry: how it works? I
  • Electricity industry: how it works? II
  • Electricity industry: how it works? III
  • Introduction to electricity markets
  • Renewable energy: deployment and integration
  • Renewable energy: money and investment
  • Renewable energy: politics and society
  • Conventional electricity generation I: coal industry in today’s world
  • Conventional electricity generation II: nuclear energy and nuclear fuel cycle
  • EU energy policy principles I
  • EU energy policy principles II
  • Supply security and geopolitics I
  • Supply security and geopolitics II
  • Behind the scenes of the EU energy policy
  • Social movements for climate change
  • Social movements against energy projects
  • Energy efficiency and savings
  • Coal phase out in Europe
  • Energy poverty: from the top-down and the bottom-up
  • Energy poverty in the EU: debate, legislation, divisions
  • Past transitions: lessons learned for today´s challenges
  • Triangulating energy system´s social demands: a conclusion
Teaching methods
Presentations, discussions
Assessment methods
Participation in classes and discussion
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Note related to how often the course is taught: Summer Session.
Teacher's information
Summer School will take place on July 11-22, 2022 at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2022/CZVMVZ005